Page 14 - India

The Mauryan Empire

Before the Greeks invaded the Indus Valley, a kingdom had

developed in northern India. The kingdom grew again once the
Greeks left. This was the start of one of India’s greatest dynasties

(DI-nuhs-teez). It was known as the Mauryan (MOR-yuhn)

Empire. The first ruler of this empire was Chandragupta (chuhn-
druh-GOOP-tuh).

The Mauryas spread across most of northern India. This

empire had a huge army. Its government was very organized.
The government had a strict system of tax collection. And,

the leaders led very comfortable lives. However, life for the

peasants (PEZ-uhntz) was hard. The Mauryas ruled for
about 140 years (321–185 b.c.).

Art from the Mauryan Empire

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